The Laminan Lounge, located in the Olin Center on the Medford/Somerville campus, was named in memory of Toivo Laminan, A31, G34. Raised as a ward of the state at the Perkins School for the Blind, Laminan's spirit and intellect earned him admission to Tufts. The industrious student, who navigated campus by counting his steps, studied Romance languages and literature; peer volunteers often read his books to him. In 1963, he and his wife established the Laminan Prize in Romance Languages, an annual award recognizing distinguished undergraduate work in the department.
Located in the basement of Curtis Hall, "Kursaal" was an eatery and student hangout that opened in 1940. It was named after a term used in European resorts to describe a pump room, although students, unaware of the origins of the name, thought it was a shortening of Curtis Hall. As there was no official campus center at the time, it served as one. The Kursaal closed at the end of 1984, when the Elizabeth van Huysen Mayer Campus Center, named for the wife of Tufts' 10th president, was completed.
Known to many as "Mrs. Tufts," Etta Phillips MacPhie financed her Tufts education by reading for a blind professor. MacPhie, who served on the Board of Trustees for nearly two decades, continued her work with the blind throughout her life. In 1976, Tufts awarded MacPhie an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
Jumbo the Elephant, Tufts' Mascot
Tufts' official mascot, Jumbo the elephant, has been ranked among the most singular in college athletics by The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated and is the only college mascot found in Webster's Dictionary. Learn more about this elephant's tale.
A Historic University
As legend has it, when a relative asked Charles Tufts what he would do with his inherited land, and more particularly with "that bleak hill over in Medford," Tufts replied, "I will put a light on it."
Learn more about the origins of Tufts University.